|
DOCTOR ZIMBARDO posted:Wikileaks was a major factor in both Tunisia and Iraq as well - with the Parliament citing leaked documents as justification to non-renew US force presence. I guess for the counter factual you'd have to decide if it was US war crimes in Iraq (which might still have happened somewhere else) or the Army's atrocious treatment of transgender soldiers that "really" drove Manning to leak. Got any links elaborating more on this?
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2014 06:44
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 13, 2024 19:22 |
|
|
FourLeaf posted:Got any links elaborating more on this? There aren't any links. Trans people are simply fired. It's against military regs, on the level of how homosexuality was but without the dishonorable discharge and military punishment part.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2014 07:27
|
|
|
Xandu posted:WIthout seeing the pictures, I'm guessing it was the brothel. Yup, those are the same pictures. http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/0...-mayor-alleges/ The Mayor of Baqubah is claiming that Shia militia forces have massacred the prisoners in the town jail for fear that they might join ISIS. Most of the men inside the jail were there for minor offenses, and the mayor's nephew was in there for "speaking out against the presence of the militias". Sergg fucked around with this message at 08:27 on Jul 24, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2014 08:21
|
|
|
Just when you thought they couldn't get any worse: http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/iraq-turmoil/isis-militants-order-iraqi-females-undergo-genital-mutilation-n163871 Edit-Well now some people are expressing doubt, so who knows. pro starcraft loser fucked around with this message at 17:29 on Jul 24, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2014 17:26
|
|
|
It can always get worse. This may be my inner Russian talking, but so far, ISIS and the Shia militias are not yet competing on lets say, large scale forcefull organ harvesting. If they would, I would predict a religiously based Civil War making everything worse over the complex Hadith question on wether forced organ harvesting from non Muslims with the goal of implanting the harveted organs in rich Saudis is Halal (you know, the non Muslims to be forcefully organ harvested may have eaten haram things!). Whoever wins, everyone looses. P.S. I sincerly hope I am not giving anyone ideas.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2014 18:58
|
|
|
http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2014/07/23/iraq-to-vote-on-president-after-deadly-bombing Iran tells Maliki he needs to step down. Maliki tells Iran to suck it.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2014 19:08
|
|
|
Just The Facts posted:Just when you thought they couldn't get any worse: http://thinkprogress.org/world/2014/07/24/3463683/no-isis-isnt-ordering-female-genital-mutilation-in-iraq/ I want to believe. It didn't make any sense at first brush because, as mentioned already, FGM is primarily a cultural practice, not a religious one.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2014 19:17
|
|
|
For what its worth, Russia is following its typical mid east line of picking loosers (far easier to do than picking a winner). They will work with Maliki, but wont bat even a milimeter of an eyelid if Maliki ends up being replaced. Given that Malikis most likely response to "step down" is to reduce the Shia-Iraqi "possible competition" by "kinetically innovative" means and thus make himself irreplacable, this is propably a good idea. It is unclear where this is headed, Iraqi top level power distributions are very opaque (yet another reason to not try to pick winners) and the next three important decision points would be: 1: Does Iran attempt to circumvent Maliki in its attempts to deliver support to Shiite Iraq? 2: If yes, Does it do so publically or clandestinely 3: What exactly does Maliki do about that if he believes that either of this is happening? Stuff to watch out for: -Any "international Iraq conference" that would place Maliki outside of the country. If Russia host such one, it would basically be an asylum/exile invitation.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2014 19:31
|
|
|
Sergg posted:http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2014/07/23/iraq-to-vote-on-president-after-deadly-bombing Does Iran think Maliki is too sectarian or not enough? Edit: VVVVV makes sense. Kurtofan fucked around with this message at 22:37 on Jul 24, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2014 22:28
|
|
|
Kurtofan posted:Does Iran think Maliki is too sectarian or not enough? My guess is they think he's too incompetent.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2014 22:35
|
|
|
Is Maliki going to just turn into Assad 2.0?
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2014 23:57
|
|
|
FADEtoBLACK posted:Is Maliki going to just turn into Assad 2.0?
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2014 23:59
|
|
|
FADEtoBLACK posted:Is Maliki going to just turn into Assad 2.0? More like Ngo Dinh Diem mk.2 if he keeps up this whole alienating literally everyone that's backing him thing for a while longer. EDIT: Or maybe Mohammad Morsi would be a more relevant comparison. Either way the dude's being a grade A dumbass here. Cerebral Bore fucked around with this message at 00:27 on Jul 25, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 00:24
|
|
|
Cerebral Bore posted:More like Ngo Dinh Diem mk.2 if he keeps up this whole alienating literally everyone that's backing him thing for a while longer. Morsi had the backing of a large and powerful political party/ideology. Malaki has nothing comparable.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 00:29
|
|
|
Count Roland posted:Morsi had the backing of a large and powerful political party/ideology. Malaki has nothing comparable. So Diem it is, then.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 00:33
|
|
|
Guess Iran is learning that you can't always control your proxies 
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 00:35
|
|
|
Xandu posted:Guess Iran is learning that you can't always control your proxies Definitely a good sign the U.S. and Iran will be best buds in the future.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 00:37
|
|
|
FADEtoBLACK posted:Definitely a good sign the U.S. and Iran will be best buds in the future. God drat am I in the same universe?
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 00:44
|
|
|
Dreissi posted:God drat am I in the same universe? I can't find the seriously good review of the subject, but there's a bit here about Iranian cooperation with the Bush Administration just after 9/11 and before he decided he wants them in the Axis of Evil anyway. A missed opportunity if ever there was one.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 02:07
|
|
|
Anyone seen followup about the battle for Division 17? Looks like ISIS might have taken it, as well as some villages and a base or two south of Hasakah. The gloves are off against Assad it seems.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 03:46
|
|
|
Antti posted:http://thinkprogress.org/world/2014/07/24/3463683/no-isis-isnt-ordering-female-genital-mutilation-in-iraq/ That's very good to hear although it was confusing why that got so much press and outcry compared to Iraqi Kurdistan being seemingly ignored on the issue (75-80% prevalence in many regions). I guess because they are the closest thing to 'good' guys we have there?
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 05:22
|
|
|
Video of the first convoy leaving Turkey bound for Syria without Assad's permission. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=715303308505503
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 06:46
|
|
|
Looks like ISIS is just hammering Asad http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28454655 quote:Hundreds die in Syria's 'deadliest week' http://online.wsj.com/articles/islamic-state-militants-confront-syria-forces-in-rare-confrontation-1406239224 quote:Islamic State militants launched assaults on Syrian forces across three provinces on Thursday that killed key government figures, including two brigadier generals, said activists and residents, in a rare confrontation between the two sides during the war.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 10:52
|
|
|
I'll give the ISIS credit, militarily they really don't pussy foot around.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 10:58
|
|
|
Absurd Alhazred posted:I can't find the seriously good review of the subject, but there's a bit here about Iranian cooperation with the Bush Administration just after 9/11 and before he decided he wants them in the Axis of Evil anyway. A missed opportunity if ever there was one. America keeps getting chances to normalise relations with Iran and pissing them away. Dunno whether to blame Israel, Islamophobia, soreness over embassies and Shahs, or all three.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 11:02
|
|
|
Peel posted:America keeps getting chances to normalise relations with Iran and pissing them away. If you think American conservatives are making it difficult for the US and Iran to work out a deal, you haven't had much exposure to Iranian conservatives. They shot Neda, publicly execute drug offenders, still provide poo poo tons of aid to Hezbollah and Assad, and shunned Ahmadinejad and his clique from Iranian politics by sticking them with a bunch of allegations including sorcery. Iran has its work cut out for it to normalize relations with anyone who isn't a diabolical rear end in a top hat.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 11:09
|
|
|
More on the recent ISIS offensive in Syria. Had no idea that the leader of al-Nusra went out like such a bitch. Gaza's been taking up more of my attention these days http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/07/22/gloves-come-off-between-syrian-regime-islamic-state-group quote:Gloves Come Off Between Syrian Regime, Islamic State Group
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 11:13
|
|
|
He was a regional leader in Deiz ez-Zor. al-Joulani is their leader leader.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 11:20
|
|
|
quote:
Yeah it must be a real kick in the rear end to see your propaganda come true. On a more terrifying note, I really wonder if the ISIS will continue this wave of success. It seems like nothing can stop them at this point.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 11:20
|
|
|
Would Turkey be able to step in and occupy Syria with UN/NATO support, turning it into a sort of client state? At this point it seems like the best option to me. ISIS is a threat to the whole region and the people of Syria mostly fled into Turkey.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 11:30
|
|
|
Shadoer posted:Yeah it must be a real kick in the rear end to see your propaganda come true. Their own lack of manpower will stop them sooner rather than later. Either that or they try attacking a country that isn't in the throes of civil war and get their asses whupped. Demiurge4 posted:Would Turkey be able to step in and occupy Syria with UN/NATO support, turning it into a sort of client state? At this point it seems like the best option to me. ISIS is a threat to the whole region and the people of Syria mostly fled into Turkey. Theoretically they might be able to, but on a practical level I doubt that Turkey wants to expend the vast amounts of blood and money that such an occupation would require.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 11:46
|
|
|
How did their operations in Rojava end up? I haven't heard much since their initial offensive, did they end up getting fought to a standstill there?
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 11:50
|
|
|
V. Illych L. posted:How did their operations in Rojava end up? I haven't heard much since their initial offensive, did they end up getting fought to a standstill there? Yeah, the Kurds got a big influx of fighters from Turkey after a couple weeks of fighting, then suddenly, news stopped coming from there, and now we've got ISIS consolidating in Deiz ez-Zor and fighting the regime. I think that ISIS are still besieging the region and could still make some gains, but it's certainly no Mosul. The death tolls against the regime should be taken with a huge grain of salt, but ISIS did take division 17 in Raqqa, which is the first SAA division to fall in the war.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 11:56
|
|
|
http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/17072014 Apparently they're still sort of on the offensive in Kobane, but they don't seem to have made much progress. Which is good.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 12:00
|
|
|
At this point, what's even left of the original revolution in Syria? It seems like the Syrian opposition kind of just hold what they've taken and can't move forward or haven't necessarily been pushed significantly backwards either. Is it really going to come to down to a horrible dictatorship vs a horrible theocracy where everyone loses?
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 12:32
|
|
|
V. Illych L. posted:http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/17072014 they seem to be cut off from supplies though, which would mean that they are pretty hosed if someone doesn't come around and lift the siege, which I think is easier said than done, we'd like to think otherwise but all evidence seem to point towards ISIS being a superior fighting force to pretty much all other rebel and loyalist factions in Syria, and now also very well equipped after their Iraqi conquests.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 13:07
|
|
|
Randarkman posted:they seem to be cut off from supplies though, which would mean that they are pretty hosed if someone doesn't come around and lift the siege, which I think is easier said than done, we'd like to think otherwise but all evidence seem to point towards ISIS being a superior fighting force to pretty much all other rebel and loyalist factions in Syria, and now also very well equipped after their Iraqi conquests. The Kurds control the border with Turkey. And if you're basing "all evidence" around number of reports, then yeah, ISIS is roughly somewhere between British and Russian army, but in reality, they've been nearly pushed out of Damascus and Ghouta, and moderate factions are putting more pressure on the city than they ever have. ISIS made some gains, but that introduced a lot of problems for them as well. There's still like 150,000 fighters and millions of people in the country who hate all 10-20,000 of them.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 13:22
|
|
|
Cerebral Bore posted:Their own lack of manpower will stop them sooner rather than later. Either that or they try attacking a country that isn't in the throes of civil war and get their asses whupped. They control territory that holds millions now. Surely their manpower is increasing sharply. They wouldn't be willing to engage in firefights that kill hundreds if it wasn't.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 13:31
|
|
|
Cerebral Bore posted:Theoretically they might be able to, but on a practical level I doubt that Turkey wants to expend the vast amounts of blood and money that such an occupation would require. At this point Syria is a humanitarian disaster that deserves a full UN peace keeping mission but Turkey is a stable democracy on the border and a NATO member. They are also Muslims so they won't get the same amount of local resistance a European mission would get. With enough material support and a good local media campaign in Turkey I think it could work.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 13:33
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 13, 2024 19:22 |
|
|
Volkerball posted:The Kurds control the border with Turkey. That article mentioned how Kobane is excluded from the UN Aid coming into the country at this time. Also the Kurds are less united than is often thought to be the case, with rivalry between different regional governments, political parties, militias and even tribal groups. Each of these have and will primarily focus on defending and supplying their own immediate territory and interests rather than co-operating across regional, political and ideological lines. Volkerball posted:ISIS made some gains, but that introduced a lot of problems for them as well. What problems are we talking about here? I can see it being a problem for them that more people are beginning to see them as the primary threat, but mostly the groups that oppose them are too incompetent and/or disunited to present an effective united front it seems. As of now they seem to be at their strongest point having conquered economically important regions in both Iraq and Syria, as well as large quantities of weapons from the Iraqi Army. Volkerball posted:they've been nearly pushed out of Damascus and Ghouta, and moderate factions are putting more pressure on the city than they ever have. Not really that surprising with their recent focus on Iraq, and their limited manpower. Also what moderate factions are we talking of, where can I read about this? (just curious)
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 13:37
|
|